Locomotive sander



Jan. 16, 1923.

. FRANTZ.

LOCOMOTIVE SANDER.

FILED NOV. 7, 1922.

Patented Jan. 16, 1923.

UNITED STATES i 1,442,061 PATEN'II oFFl'cE.

JAMES FRANTZ, OF.ROANOKE, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO WHITE AMERICAN LOCOMO-TIVE SANDER COMPANY, INC., OF ROANOKE, VIRGINIA, A

GINIA.

LOCOMOTIVE SANDER.

Application filed November 7, 1922. Serial.No. (599,591.

skilled in the art to which it appertains to` make and use the same.

This invention relates to a sander primarily adapted for use withlocomotives. The principal object of 'the'invention, generally stated,is to provide a pneumatic or fluid pressure sander having a valvearrangement whereby the amount of sand delivered by the sander is Withinthe control of the engineer.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sander and valvemechanism therefor whereby there will be provided a heavy flow of sandwhen needed, a light flow of sand when the train is running under speed,or a combined iiow due to the joint action of both heavy and light flowswhen necessary.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a sander and valvemechanism so arranged as to automatically provide a cleaning flow ofcompressed air before and after each operation of the sander by anarrangement of the valve mechanism, the valve mechanism also beingadapted in various positions to provide a plurality of variations in theamount of` sand delivered by the sander, said variations beingselectively within the control of the operator.

There are other objects of the invention as will hereinafter appear froma more detailedr description of the single embodiment of thev devicewhich has been chosen to illustrate the invention, the novel featureswhereof will be pointed out in the claims at the end of thespecification.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in vertical section of a sander and valve mechanismconstructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure. 2 is a view in horizontal section of the valve mechanism, partsbeing broken 'away to more clearly illustrate the device.

F1gure 3 is a view in plan of the operating mechanism for the valve.

While I have illustrated but a single sander it will be readily apparentto those skilled in the art that in modern locomotives there are fourSanders, two on either side of the locomotive, these Sanders 'beingrespectively adapted to apply sand adjacent the driving wheels of thelocomotive in either direction of travel of the same.

Referring now to the drawings,- the nu-l meral 1 indicates, generally, avalve casing which is suitably located in convenient reach of theengineer or operator of the locomotive. This casing consists of a basemember 2 and a housing member 3, the housing member being bolted orotherwise secured to the base member and there is interposed between thebase and housing CORPORATION 0F VIR- member a gasket 4 to prevent theescape of the Huid pressure means hereinafter described. .'Ihe housingmember is adapted lto form with the base member a valve casing orchamber substantially circular in .form and rotatively mounted withinthis casing or chamber 5 is a valve. disk 6, said disk being providedwith a single orifice 7 extending therethrough and on its upper facewith apair of ears or lugs 8. Located between the said ears is thesquared end 9 of the operating member 10, the latter be` ing providedwith a collar/l1 adapted to engage the inner face of the topwall of thecasing 5 through which the operating member extends. To the outer end ofthe operating member 10 there is connected an operating handle 12, saidoperating handley being preferably pivotallyv connected to the operatingmember so as to permit a slight rocking movement between the operatinghandle and the member. The casing 5 is provided at a convenient pointwith an inlet orifice 13 to which is connected in any suitable manner apipe 13a from the fluid pressure reservoir. *Y

In the base member there are provided a plurality of openings 14, 15, 16and 17 on each side of the'center line or the closed position of theoperating handle. Each set` a single valve is used for'the completesand- Y ing equipment. If two valves are utilized, each set of openingsis connected to elther the forward or rear sander, 'as desired.

Since these pipes are similar it will only be necessary for a fullunderstanding of the invention. to describe in detail'the connec tionbetween the same anda single sander. The opening 14 is connected by asuitable pipe 14a to an air passage 18 in the sander casing 19, as willhereinafter be more fully described. The opening 15 is connecte-d by asuitable pipe,vas shown in dot and dash lines, with a pipe 20, thelatter being con veniently connected to a nozzle 21 which lies adjacentthe lower wall of the sander casing 19. The opening 16 is connected by asuitable pipe with a pipe 22, the latter being also connected with anair nozzle 23, which is positioned above the nozzle 21 and within thesander casing 19. The opening 17 is connected by an inverted Y pipe 24with the pipes leading from the openings 15 and 16, as clearly shown inFigure 1 of the drawings, and hence leads to the pipes 20 and 22 andlikewise to the nozzles 21 and 23, re spectively.

The sander. casing 19 preferably comprises an L-shaped member having apair of connected chambers or legs 25 and 26, the chamber 25 beingadapted to be suitably connected to the sand dome or sand reservoir ofthe locomotive. the opposite end from the air nozzles with a downwardlydirected orifice 27 for the escape of sand. The air passage 18 ispreferably formed in the upper wall of the chamber 26 and is providedwith an opening 28 immediately above and' in line with the orifice 27 soas to permit the cleaning blast of compressed air from the opening 14 ofthe valve to clean the orifice 27 and the sand pipe leading therefrom,when desired.` Adjacent the orifice 27 there is provided a shoulder 29which is adapted to entrap the sand within the chamber 26 and to preventthe gravity flow of the sand through the orifice 27. The sand from thesand reservoir filling the chamber 25 and flowing into the chamber 26normally occupies the position shownin Figure 1 of the drawings.

The sander casing 19 isconveniently pro vided with a number of screwplugs 30, 31 and 32 to permit access to the interior of the casing forcleaning when necessary.

The operation of the device is as follows: Upon a rotation of the handle12 from closed position there will be a corresponding rotation of thevalve disk 6 and the orifice 7 thereof will come in alinement with theopening 14, whereupon a cleaning blast of compressed air will passthrough the port 14, through the air passage 18, through the opening 28,and the orifice 27 to clean out obstructions which may form within theorifice 27 or the pipe leading therefrom. Upon a further rotation of thehandle in lthe same direction, the orifice 7 will leave the port 14 andregister with the port 15 vnozzle 23 and, owing The chamber 26 isprovided at Vwhereupon the compressed air will flow through the pipe 2Oand the nozzle 21. It is to be observed that the nozzle 21, owing to itsposition adjacent the lower wall of the chamber 26 and the distance fromthe surface of the entrapped sand, will cause a large volume of sand tobe forced out of the orifice 27, the object of this large flow of sandbeing to provide a sufficient amount for the starting of the trainor-for any other condition when a large quantity of sand is needed. 'Afurther rotation of the handle 12 in the same direction will bring theorifice 7 of the disk in register with the opening 16, whereupon theflow of air through the pipe 20 will be stopped and the compressed airwill flow through the pipe 22 and the to the position ot' the latter ata point adjacent the opposite wall ofthe casing or chamber 26 and lyingnearer.

the surface of the entrapped sand, a material decrease in the flow ofsand from that occasioned by the nozzle 21 will take place. Thisposition of the operating handle is intended when the engine is runningand a small amount of sand is needed to compensate for the condition ofthe track. A further rotation of the handle will bring the port 7 inregister with the opening 17, whereupon the compressed air will passthrough the ingiving a 'simultaneous flow through both nozzles 21 and 23and a correspondingly greater flow than from either of the nozzles 21 or23, singly. The: purpose of this increased flow is for emergency stopswhen a large amount of sand is necessary. There may be other occasionswhen the combined liow of sand is desired and the application of thissimultaneous flow of both nozzles is not to be limited to such emergencystops.

The top of the valve casing is conveniently provided with a series ofV-shaped notches corresponding in number and location to the ports 14,15, 16 and 17, and into these notches is adapted to seat thespring-pressed plunger 33 carried by the handle 12.

It will be obvious from the foregoing description that the operatoroli-the improved sander device may selectively, control the amount ofsand passing from the sander to the track as desired to suit variousconditions and it is within his option to provide either a light or aheavy or a maximum flow as desired. It will be also apparent that onboth the opening and closing movements of the valve mechanism a cleaningblast of air is directed through the orifice 27 so as always to maintainthis orifice and the sand delivery pipe open Jfor the passage of sand.By the use of my device the amount of sand used by the engineer ismaterially reduced and at the same time provision is made for adequateamounts of sand to suit various conditions.

verted Y pipe 24 and Ainto pipes 20 and 21, A

being adapted to admit air to either of said nozzles singly or to aplurality of said nozzles simultaneously.

2. A sander for locomotives, comprising a casing having a plurality ofconnected chambers, a shoulder formed on the Wall of one of saidchambers to trap the 'sand therein, said chamber being provided With anoutlet orifice adjacent said shoulder, and a plurality of nozzlesextending through. one of said chambers and into the other, one of saidnozzles lying adjacent a Wall of said chamber, another of said nozzleslying adjacent the opposite Wall of said chamber, and valve means foradmitting compressed air to said nozzles.

3. A sander for locomotives comprising a plurality ofA connectedchambers, one of said chambers being connected to a sand reservoir, theother chamber having an orifice for the escape of the sand, a pair ofair nozzles extending Within said last named chamber, said nozzles beingspaced apart and adapted to extend unequal distances Within the saidchamber, and means for admitting compressed air to said nozzles singly,and means for admitting compressed air to said nozzles simultaneously.

4. A sander for locomotives comprising a casino havin connected u rightand longib b D ftudinally extending chambers, said upright chamber beingconnected to a sand reservoii, means formed on a Wall of saidlongitudinally extending chamber tolimit the gravity flow of the-sand, apair of nozzles extending Within said last named chamber, said nozzleshaving their open ends located at different distances from the surfaceof the sand Within said chamber, and valve means for admittingcompressed air to said nozzles either singly or simultaneously.

5. A sander for locomotives comprising a hollow L-shaped casing, one legof said cas- .ing being adapted to be connected to a sand reservoir, theother leg of the casing being provided with an orifice for the escape ofsand, a pair of air nozzles extending Within said last named leg of saidcasing and each adapted to lie adjacent opposite Walls of said leg, andvalve means controlling the admission of compressed air to said nozzles,said valve means being adapted to admit air singly to either of saidnozzles and being adapted also to admit air simultaneously to both ofsaid nozzles. n

6. A sander for locomotives comprising an L-shaped casing provided Withsand inlet and outlet orifices, said casing also being provided With anair passage opening adj acent said outletorifice, a pair of nozzlesextending into said casing and directed toward said outlet orifice, andvalve means for controlling the admission of compressed air to saidcasing, said. valve means being adaptedin one position to admit air tosaid air passage and in another position to admit air singly to eitherof said nozzles, and in a third position to admit air simultaneously toboth of said nozzles.

In testimony whereof I aiix mysignature.

JAMES FRANTZ.

